Two separately-organised strikes of Uber drivers are coming up over the next few weeks.
The App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU) has called for a national Uber strike on Tuesday September 28th. The strike is expected to be observed in at least eight cities, with demonstrations planned to start at 1pm on the day in each of the following locations:
BIRMINGHAM
Aston Cross Business Park, Ground Floor, Fazeley House, 50 Rocky Ln, Birmingham B6 5RQ
BRISTOL
The Coach house, Uber, Upper York St, Bristol BS2 8QN
GLASGOW
The Pentagon Centre, BizSpace, 36 Washington St, Glasgow G3 8AZ
LEEDS
Unit 58, Flexspace, Burley Road, Leeds LS4 2PU
LONDON
Uber Greenlight Hub London, Beaufort House, 15 St Botolph St, London EC3A 7DT
MANCHESTER
Building 4, Devonshire St North, Manchester M12 6JH
NOTTINGHAM
Unit C, King Edward Court, Nottingham NG1 1EL
SHEFFIELD
Spaces Acero, 1 Concourse Way, Sheffield S1 2BJ
Explaining the issues and demands behind the strike, the ADCU write:
"There are three key points of dispute which has now led this to latest strike action:
· Uber’s failure to implement the Supreme Court ruling and pay waiting time which makes up around 40% of an Uber driver’s working time.
· The introduction of fixed price fares and the abandonment of variable fares which were based on actual time and distance travelled. This has led to reduced driver incomes and greater financial risk.
· Unfair dismissals without recourse. Uber’s introduction of a flawed real time identification and surveillance system in particular has led to many drivers being wrongly dismissed without right of appeal.
The union is making three key demands of Uber to immediately remedy the situation:
· Uber to pay all working time including waiting time and respect the Supreme Court ruling.
· An end to up front pricing, an increase of fares from £1.25 per mile to £2.00 per mile and for Uber to reduce its commission take from 25% to 15%.
· An end to unfair dismissals without right of appeal. Uber must also withdraw the use of the so-called Real Time ID surveillance and facial recognition system."
The ADCU is a new union which was formed after a recent split in the IWGB union. The United Private Hire Drivers, the IWGB branch covering drivers, does not seem to be endorsing the September 28th strike call, and are instead asking Uber drivers to strike on Wednesday October 6th.
Their demands for that strike are:
• Better rate per mile
• 15% max commission
• Transparency of charges on customers
• No fixed rate trips
• 50% surcharge on out of area trips
• No more unfair deactivations
• Reinstatement of unfairly deactivated drivers
The IWGB/UPHD are also planning a public protest in London to coincide with their strike, asking supporters to:
"Bring your car & join us to strike & protest together on 6 October at 10am.
Meeting point: 10am at ASDA Car Park, Stepney Green, 123 Mile End Road, E1 4UJ
Then drive to protest location at: Uber HQ, Aldgate Tower, London E1 8QN for 11am."
They have also set up a strike WhatsApp group, which can be accessed via a QR code which can be found here.
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